Monday, March 1, 2010

While the researchers are working hard to find a way to convert plant waste into ethanol fuel, scientists in the United States have discovered a simple chemical process to convert cellulose into furfural molecules - a source of alternative biofuel. This new technique in the testing stages, but could produce furfural fuels from a variety of cellulose materials, including waste from forestry and food industries, and even old newspapers.

Mark Mascal and Edward Nikitin of the University of California, said this method produces furfural fuels from cellulose waste with very high results. Its main products, organic liquid 5 - (klorometil) furfural (CMF), can be converted in one simple step into etoksimetilfurfural (EMF), a diesel additive potential.

Mascal said furfural is a better alternative than bioethanol from cellulose, because the amount of treatment required in the production of bioethanol is to make this process uneconomical. "Make sure furfural is cheaper," he said. "The method we use no more than the use of hydrochloric acid. Therefore, enzymes and pre-treatment is not needed (to extract cellulose), or detoxification or fermentation."

Cellulose can be directly converted into bio fuel furanat with a high percentage of results.

They squash the cellulose with hydrochloric acid containing lithium chloride, and by using dichloromethane extract CMF, together with furan-based organic substances other. CMF can then be converted into products furanat, EMF, which has shown promising results when tested on a mixture of diesel fuel mixture.

However, since this conversion requires ethanol, Mascal thinks it might be better to do an alternative conversion - a catalytic hydrogenation of 5-metilfurfural (MF), a fuel that has not been tested. "Hydrogen is easily obtained, so if we can replace the ethanol, I think the outcome will be better," he said.

"I believe that this conversion can be done effectively in a laboratory scale, but certainly there is a difference between doing something with the amount of one liter and one bucket," said Arthur Ragauskas, a biofuel expert at the U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Science Center. He also considered that the removal of chlorine, which in the end product can cause corrosion, can cause problems if this conversion process is carried out in industrial scale.

Mascal admitted that chlorine, even with low levels, need to be reduced further. However, he said he believed this would be a major obstacle. "This technology is still in experimental stages, but if someone really wants to use it, surely they can make the processes that can remove chlorine and other contaminants from the final product."

Bio Fuel Sources Direct from cellulose.

While the researchers are working hard to find a way to convert plant waste into ethanol fuel, scientists in the United States have discovered a simple chemical process to convert cellulose into furfural molecules - a source of alternative biofuel. This new technique in the testing stages, but could produce furfural fuels from a variety of cellulose materials, including waste from forestry and food industries, and even old newspapers.

Mark Mascal and Edward Nikitin of the University of California, said this method produces furfural fuels from cellulose waste with very high results. Its main products, organic liquid 5 - (klorometil) furfural (CMF), can be converted in one simple step into etoksimetilfurfural (EMF), a diesel additive potential.

Mascal said furfural is a better alternative than bioethanol from cellulose, because the amount of treatment required in the production of bioethanol is to make this process uneconomical. "Make sure furfural is cheaper," he said. "The method we use no more than the use of hydrochloric acid. Therefore, enzymes and pre-treatment is not needed (to extract cellulose), or detoxification or fermentation."

Cellulose can be directly converted into bio fuel furanat with a high percentage of results.

They squash the cellulose with hydrochloric acid containing lithium chloride, and by using dichloromethane extract CMF, together with furan-based organic substances other. CMF can then be converted into products furanat, EMF, which has shown promising results when tested on a mixture of diesel fuel mixture.

However, since this conversion requires ethanol, Mascal thinks it might be better to do an alternative conversion - a catalytic hydrogenation of 5-metilfurfural (MF), a fuel that has not been tested. "Hydrogen is easily obtained, so if we can replace the ethanol, I think the outcome will be better," he said.

"I believe that this conversion can be done effectively in a laboratory scale, but certainly there is a difference between doing something with the amount of one liter and one bucket," said Arthur Ragauskas, a biofuel expert at the U.S. Department of Energy's Bioenergy Science Center. He also considered that the removal of chlorine, which in the end product can cause corrosion, can cause problems if this conversion process is carried out in industrial scale.

Mascal admitted that chlorine, even with low levels, need to be reduced further. However, he said he believed this would be a major obstacle. "This technology is still in experimental stages, but if someone really wants to use it, surely they can make the processes that can remove chlorine and other contaminants from the final product."